What Do You See?

Your perception is often affected by your environment. What you see will largely depend on where you live in the world.

What is above the woman’s head? When scientists showed a similar sketch to people from East Africa, nearly all the participants in the experiment said she was balancing a box or metal can on her head. In a culture containing few angular visual cues, the family is seen sitting under a tree. Westerners, on the other hand, are accustomed to the corners and boxlike shapes of architecture. They are more likely to place the family indoors and to interpret the rectangle above the woman’s head as a window through which shrubbery can be seen.

WELCOME TO CREATIVE THINKING

All about the secrets of creative genius and creative techniques

Search Creative Thinking

Purchase Media Online:

Receive Michael’s articles and techniques via email

Follow Michael Michalko

Follow Michael Michalko on the following media outlets to keep up to date on all interviews, exercises and published articles.